Trading activity cooled from the month-end frenzy with the Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market ended on Tuesday with only a handful of stocks posting gains and more than half those trading ending with losses after an exchange of 55 percent fewer shares than on Monday at a value that fell 289 percent.
The All Jamaican Composite Index shed 1,918.58 points to close at 436,126.60, the Main Index declined by 1,705.00 points to 397,871.10 and the JSE Financial Index lost 0.47 points to settle at 104.38.
Trading ended with 42 securities changing hands compared to 49 on Monday and closed with the prices of just six stocks rising, 26 declining and 10 remaining unchanged. The average PE Ratio ended at 15.8 based on ICInsider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
Investors exchanged 7,460,379 shares for $43,882,188 compared to 16,714,722 units at $170,632,583 on Monday. Wigton Windfarm led trading with 56.4 percent of total volume, after exchanging 4.21 million shares, followed by Transjamaican Highway with 17.9 percent and 1.34 million units and Sagicor Select Financial Fund with 5.9 percent of market share for 438,631 shares.
Trading averaged 177,628 units at $1,044,814 for each security compared to an average of 341,117 shares at $3,482,298 on Monday. In contrast, November averaged 623,120 units at $6,686,047.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows nine stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
At the close of the market, Eppley fell $1.29 to $23.15, in exchanging 2,349 shares, Eppley Caribbean Property Fund declined $4.90 to $40, with the trading of 8,925 stock units, Grace Kennedy closed $2.40 lower at $64.10, in transferring 13,478 stock units. Jamaica Producers Group gained 75 cents to end at $21.75, with 1,470 units changing hands, JMMB Group fell $1.78 to $33.22, with an exchange of 163,274 shares, Key Insurance shed 32 cents to end at $10.66 after trading 50,126 shares. Kingston Wharves settled at $47.11, with a loss of $1.29 in transferring 799 units, NCB Financial shed $1.01 in closing at $145 trading 86,804 shares, Pan Jam Investment dropped $6.50 to $63.50, with 55,347 shares crossing the market. Proven Investments shed $3 to $36 in trading 19,127 stock units, Salada Foods lost $1 to settle at $26 in exchanging 1,366 units, Scotia Group fell $1 to $45, with 122,414 shares changing hands.
Supreme Ventures gained 40 cents to close at $17.03, after the swapping of 21,899 stock units and Sygnus Credit Investments shed $1.31 in ending at $16, with a transfer of 53,907 shares.
In the preference segment, Eppley 8.25% dropped $1.46 to settle at $7 after crossing the exchange with 180 units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
